Today, application programs are used worldwide by sites within a data processing system. The application programs need to be deployed locally to the sites, due to an unacceptable impact on response time (when placed on one server). Therefore, each user can have a customized set of application programs that are remotely kept at the latest level.
Additionally, it is not practical for worldwide sites to access some of the application programs through a common server. A method was needed to deliver the application programs to a machine more local to these worldwide sites than a server at the central location.
The delivery process must be scheduled such that it can send the application program to the remote site at a specified time. Usually receipt is required on the target machine after midnight local time. It is not practical for someone to send the application to these sites manually, because many sites require late night delivery and also due to the sheer volume of user sites. Additionally, the transfer of application programs to sites in the Asia-Pacific region for example can take over an hour due to the size of the application, the local network bandwidth and the distance of the file transfer.
The delivery process should validate that the application delivery was successful, so that any corrective action could be taken in the event that there is a problem. This is especially important if the installation system is to run unattended.
The present alternative method of requiring each user to download the application program, puts the responsibility onto each user to update the application program and validate that the software was successfully installed. Additionally, installations can be complex, requiring the services of an installation expert. This method is time consuming, expensive and prone to error, because the method involves manual processes. There is a need for an improved method of installation, where the source machine remotely installs the application programs onto another machine and does not require manual interaction at each site.